Need help with Python 2.7 Extended Lifecycle Support? The best dependency management + virtual environment solution for Python
Use just the Python packages you need
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Extended support offers our exclusive Python 2.7.18.x builds which include security patches addressing vulnerabilities identified in the core Python 2 release.
ActiveState has been programmers’ trusted provider of Windows, Linux, and macOS Python distributions for more than 20 years. We offer the latest versions of a number of open source programming languages, including Python, Perl, and Tcl.
We specialize in stable, secure, and easy-to-deploy Python environments. Our universal package manager, the State Tool, allows you to build your runtime from source code, reducing your exposure to vulnerabilities. We also provide advanced dependency management, reducing the need for bug fixes.
With ActiveState, you can install Python and the State Tool directly in the command line, or you can use a Windows installer for Python 3.8 or 2.7. We allow sign-up with GitHub and provide numerous tutorials in our community forum.
ActiveState Python is free to download, but there are some limits on use: you can have no more than one runtime active at any given time. An active runtime is the number of instances of software from the ActiveState Platform that you run in a 24 hour period.
If you need more runtimes, please see our Plans and Pricing page.
We recommend downloading a recent version of ActiveState Python for Windows, Mac and Linux.
You will be prompted to create a free ActiveState Platform account.
Python is one of the most popular programming languages for web development, scientific computing, data science, machine learning and more. ActiveState Python has been used to develop both commercial and non-commercial applications for individual developers and organizations in industries such as financial services, aerospace & defence, software and IT services. Companies like Microsoft, Altair, NASA and MSC trust ActiveState’s Python and Perl distributions. Learn more about ActiveState Python Use Cases.
In general, it’s always best to choose the latest minor Python version, or else the previous minor version in order to ensure compatibility with recent versions of third-party modules, as well as to minimize vulnerabilities. For example, if the most current version is 3.9.6, the safe bet is to use 3.9.6 or 3.9.5. See which Python versions ActiveState supports.
While ActivePython 2.7 is still available, we recommend not starting new projects with 2.7 given that Python 2 is no longer supported by the community. If you still have applications running on Python 2, ActiveState does offer ongoing security updates with Python 2 extended support.